CKD-Animewrote:
They already have for a while though
Comic Yuri Hime came out in 2005 (2003*)

Not really, I mean non-yuri/yaoi storylines that actually have a chance given towards same-sex as a possible thing, instead of just as a teased thing. Like a shounen/seinen story where a pair of same-sex that have definite build and chemistry actually are allowed to go that route, instead of them being shoved into the "just friends" b.s. while taking full advantage of the appeal of same-sex. And I mean this for both yuri and yaoi (just want to reiterate that). If two characters have chemistry and build they should be given the freedom and respect to be allowed that route, regardless of genders.

Yes really, there have been many same sex relations storyline; but relationships aren't the focus in non-romance storylines, and even if they dabble in it they never really do a good job at expressing (hetero or homo). If I want relationships I will watch/read something that focuses on it (I don't want to watch a half-assed same sex (or straight) relationship).

Don't get me wrong because I agree with your point, but I just don't watch non-romance shows for the relationships (or to say, it really isn't my focus). Because of what I said above, most romantic relations are never very well developed even if the two characters have chemistry. Because anime tries to juggle way to many things in their short and limited time. Sure I'd like more same sex couples in my non-romance anime, but at the same time they should be focusing on delivering a solid story; because if the story isn't good then I usually don't end up liking the characters, then it's all for naught. Of course the perfect thing would be to have good story and good romance, but the stars don't really align that often.

Granted this series is a yuri story, but hopefully it serves to open and evolve Japan's views on same-sex so that it won't be limited to only 2-4 genres that are solely focused on them.

Unfortunately anime is niche in Japan, the majority of people will never know of it's existence (or any other anime). But I guess its really just finding a balance though more than anything. The other way it can become a gimmick is the overuse of it, like what the US has done where they just ham fist LGBT characters into everything just for the sake of it.

Some what on topic thing: Will Citrus suffer some of the negativity that plagues Yuri on Ice?

Oh wow, finally this gets an adaptation. I think the manga is good but I'd be lying if I didn't say that it drags a bit in a certain parts imo. It's pretty rare to see a Yuri series like this one though so this'll be a nice thing to be animated.

Yeah, as far as yuri series go, Citrus is nothing too spectacular, but I'm still happy for an adaptation nonetheless. At the very least it will introduce a lot of new fans to yuri, and if it does well, we may see other yuri series get anime adaptations.

Ya unfortunately from what I've seen, many yuri series are still pretty tied down by the stereotypical/overly idealized nature, yaoi is the same way. Citrus is a bit different, but it does not go much further than what we expect out of yuri. The problem with a lot of yuri/yaoi is that it usually only focuses on being cute, adorable, and sexually enticing rather than actually explore what it means to be a homosexual and how that effects the characters or have it portrayed more naturally. From the yuri I've seen in animes, it doesn't even get close to that core theme. It's often times too idealized and exacerbated that I feel many relationships lose potential. I don't think many of them are taken too seriously by the creators, I think that's a real shame.

A recent example that I actually like however is Sister Nana's and Winterprison's relationship. It's not in your face and rolls naturally. In many yuri animes it's like, "Omg, they kissed! KKAAAWWAAAIIII" and that's as far as it goes. There's not much meat on the bones, you know what I mean?

I mean could you imagine having characters such as Jeri Hogarth (Jessica Jones) and her relationship escapades or Tara Chambler (Walking Dead) in an anime? Man! That's almost unthinkable to me and that bugs me!

Very interested in this, but also quite curious as to what it will be like. My initial feeling is that it's going to be somewhat dramatic and not very lighthearted - but I really don't know.

Normally that feeling would worry me, but I've been craving a more dramatic yuri title for quite while now and nothing has really satisfied it (Yuriikuma was good, but too goofy). It would be nice if this show could fulfill that craving (of course, I wouldn't complain if it was lighthearted either).

But there's a specific kind of drama that appeals to me - and it's usually not the "realistic" kind. I hope this ends up being more melodramatic and "corny". If anyone knows more about the tone, then I'd love to hear it.

Yes really, there have been many same sex relations storyline; but relationships aren't the focus in non-romance storylines, and even if they dabble in it they never really do a good job at expressing (hetero or homo). If I want relationships I will watch/read something that focuses on it (I don't want to watch a half-assed same sex (or straight) relationship).

Don't get me wrong because I agree with your point, but I just don't watch non-romance shows for the relationships (or to say, it really isn't my focus). Because of what I said above, most romantic relations are never very well developed even if the two characters have chemistry. Because anime tries to juggle way to many things in their short and limited time. Sure I'd like more same sex couples in my non-romance anime, but at the same time they should be focusing on delivering a solid story; because if the story isn't good then I usually don't end up liking the characters, then it's all for naught. Of course the perfect thing would be to have good story and good romance, but the stars don't really align that often.

90% of series I've seen that aren't in yuri/yaoi category will tease a same-sex pairing but won't actually go through with it. Even if in the characters case if they were m/f they'd easily be together, instead they throw the b.s. card of "just friends" cause somehow that seems to conveniently cover any and all things that could point towards same-sex. One of the easiest examples I've seen that I can easily recall (cause I actually really liked the manga) is Rosario Vampire where they easily could've developed Mizore/Kurumu into something, instead they chose to toss all that away and have both continue to pine after the MC. Even Danmachi's spinoff series (iirc is getting an anime) has some same-sex ships, but likely won't be developed or given any actual weight. The series I've actually seen try to go there are Psycho Pass (even though its kept background) and GitS.

You can have non-romance stories that have romantic pairings, like SAO is more of an action/shounen story but clearly has Asuna/Kirito developing alongside it. That's basically where I'd want things to go when it comes to same-sex; not that it needs to convert the entire story over to being romance. I'd actually point to Legend of Korra as doing this somewhat well, since it doesn't shift genres but does allow a same-sex relationship to happen.

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Unfortunately anime is niche in Japan, the majority of people will never know of it's existence (or any other anime). But I guess its really just finding a balance though more than anything. The other way it can become a gimmick is the overuse of it, like what the US has done where they just ham fist LGBT characters into everything just for the sake of it.

Some what on topic thing: Will Citrus suffer some of the negativity that plagues Yuri on Ice?

Undoubtedly I've seen the better side of US shows because so far I haven't seen any "hamfisted" attempts, I've seen stories that worked them in because the medium is maturing/evolving to show them instead of not. Though I'll take that over Japan's treating them as a form of service or a phase with no real legitimacy any day of the week.

I haven't actually seen much negativity towards YoI (just the opposite actually), which is actually why I was planning on checking it out. I think any time there's a shift in societal views the roaches of said society (bigots, homophobes, racists, sexists, etc) will come out to complain about whatever so Citrus may get some negativity but meh let the roaches whine all they want.

Very interested in this, but also quite curious as to what it will be like. My initial feeling is that it's going to be somewhat dramatic and not very lighthearted - but I really don't know.

Normally that feeling would worry me, but I've been craving a more dramatic yuri title for quite while now and nothing has really satisfied it (Yuriikuma was good, but too goofy). It would be nice if this show could fulfill that craving (of course, I wouldn't complain if it was lighthearted either).

But there's a specific kind of drama that appeals to me - and it's usually not the "realistic" kind. I hope this ends up being more melodramatic and "corny". If anyone knows more about the tone, then I'd love to hear it.

Well, I look forward to trying this one out regardless.

To answer your question, the drama plays out like a soap opera, with ample amounts of melodrama but not overly corny

Oh wow, finally this gets an adaptation. I think the manga is good but I'd be lying if I didn't say that it drags a bit in a certain parts imo. It's pretty rare to see a Yuri series like this one though so this'll be a nice thing to be animated.

Yeah, as far as yuri series go, Citrus is nothing too spectacular, but I'm still happy for an adaptation nonetheless. At the very least it will introduce a lot of new fans to yuri, and if it does well, we may see other yuri series get anime adaptations.

Ya unfortunately from what I've seen, many yuri series are still pretty tied down by the stereotypical/overly idealized nature, yaoi is the same way. Citrus is a bit different, but it does not go much further than what we expect out of yuri. The problem with a lot of yuri/yaoi is that it usually only focuses on being cute, adorable, and sexually enticing rather than actually explore what it means to be a homosexual and how that effects the characters or have it portrayed more naturally. From the yuri I've seen in animes, it doesn't even get close to that core theme. It's often times too idealized and exacerbated that I feel many relationships lose potential. I don't think many of them are taken too seriously by the creators, I think that's a real shame.

A recent example that I actually like however is Sister Nana's and Winterprison's relationship. It's not in your face and rolls naturally. In many yuri animes it's like, "Omg, they kissed! KKAAAWWAAAIIII" and that's as far as it goes. There's not much meat on the bones, you know what I mean?

I mean could you imagine having characters such as Jeri Hogarth (Jessica Jones) and her relationship escapades or Tara Chambler (Walking Dead) in an anime? Man! That's almost unthinkable to me and that bugs me!

Very true, but I would consider those types of yuri series as entry level, the same way typical battle shonen series like One Piece and Naruto are entry level for the shonen demographic. While such generic series aren't especially good, they aren't necessarily bad as it introduces people to a new form of storytelling and inspires young artists to come up with their own stories. Citrus might not be that good, but I hope that it does extremely well, so that yuri gains some more traction in the anime industry, and so that truly great series like Bloom into You or Collectors get adaptations of their own.

I agree with what you said about Sister Nana and Winterprison, except the whole deal with relationships being presented naturally is an issue that applies also to hetero relationships in anime. When you actually think about it, it isn't exactly common for there to be pre-existing relationships at the beginning of a series. Outside of Nana and Winterprison the only couple that immediately comes to mind are Kumiko's sempais in Hibike Euphonium. If anything, it's more along the lines that the beta couple won't be fully developed if it's a homosexual relationship, and that most beta couples in general don't actually get together until after the main couple.